Picture it: ancient Ur, circa 2500 B.C. Shub-Ad, a Mesopotamian queen, concocts the first red lip color out of lead and crushed rocks, paints it on—or so we imagine—then checks her reflection in the Tigris and thinks, Meh, so not my color. From the beginning of time, it seems, we’ve searched for it—the red lipstick that’s just right, the foundation that seamlessly melds with our skin, the blush that looks utterly authentic. Since every woman’s complexion is unique, it would seem to follow that only a few select shades could possibly work on any given face. In the 1980s, custom blending took color matching to a whole new level. But even that didn’t guarantee a perfect match. Could it be that we’ve been taking the wrong tack? The latest hues aim to eliminate the guesswork from shade selection by promising to flatter every woman, regardless of her skin color. And while this sounds too good to be true, experts say that science and reason underlie the dreamy claims. Certain qualities do make a shade universal. “Colors that are not predominantly cool or warm, but midway between the two, are easiest for everyone to wear,” says makeup artist Chrisanne Davis. Shimmer also helps. “Light-diffusing pearls reflect from all angles, so when you rub them in, they mirror your own tone,” says cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson. And sheerness can offer a similar boon. That’s great in theory, but do these colors look good in the mirror? We asked Davis to test the same seven products on three Allure staffers with very different complexions: Ellen Miller (fair), Jennifer Yee (medium), and Nicole Chapoteau (dark). And while some failed to impress, a few truly universal shades just may go down in history.
BRONZE AND PINK
Bronzer: Jelly Pong Pong Omnibronze Universal Bronzer.
HOW IT WORKS: “By enriching the color with just the right amounts of yellow and violet, we were able to add warmth and depth, allowing it to work on anyone,” says Terry Liau, chief formulator at Jelly Pong Pong.
WHAT THE MAKEUP ARTIST SAYS: “If you have any pink in your skin, this color is not for you,” Davis says.
ELLEN’S OPINION: “It was all wrong for me—way too orange.”
JENNIFER'S OPINION: “Very even, natural-looking, and not at all orange.”
NICOLE’S OPINION: “It gave my skin a little lift. For me, it would make a great blush.”
Lipstick: Cover Girl TruShine Lipcolor in Powderpink Shine.
How It Works: Using a spectrophotometer, a device that measures the visible wavelengths of the skin, Cover Girl determined the exact skin color and undertone of hundreds of women. Based on that, the company created 24 sheer lipstick shades designed to work on 97 percent of all skin tones.
WHAT THE MAKEUP ARTIST SAYS: “It looked lovely on Ellen’s alabaster skin and
flattered Jennifer, too,” Davis says. “It didn’t work on Nicole at all.”
ELLEN’S OPINION: “The color brought out the ruddiness in my cheeks.”
JENNIFER’S OPINION: “It was soft and pretty and made my skin look really creamy.”
NICOLE’s OPINION: “The color was too icy for me.”
SHEER BERRY
Lip and Cheek Stain: Stila Cherry Crush Lip & Cheek Stain.
HOW IT WORKS: Cherry Crush relies on a dye designed to react to changes in PH and body temperature to create a universally flattering pinched-cheek tint. “The color difference from one woman to the next will be very slight, since all healthy people have around the same PH,” says cosmetic chemist Nick Morante.
WHAT THE MAKEUP ARTIST Says: “It’s vibrant, but because it’s so sheer, it blends into the skin and looks believable. You can also layer it to deepen the color,” Davis says.
ELLEN’S OPINION: “My new favorite lip color. One coat looked natural; two turned my lips a fun hot pink.”
JENNIFER'S OPINION: “It gave my cheeks a dewy blush and worked well as a lip stain; it wasn’t too dark or ’80s-electric.”
NICOLE’S OPINION: “It was pretty on lips and had great staying power as a blush.”
FOUNDATION AND RED LIPS
Foundation: Benefit Some Kind-a Gorgeous The Foundation Faker.
HOW IT WORKS: The Original shade has a neutral undertone and sheer texture, which provides enough coverage to even out the skin without obscuring its natural tone. Recently, Benefit brought out a second shade called Deep, with darker pigments and a lower dose of titanium dioxide, which can “leave an ashy cast on dark skin,” Wilson says. WHAT THE MAKEUP ARTIST SAYS: “Both shades are sheer and balanced. The Original tempered the redness in Ellen’s cheeks and blended beautifully on Jennifer’s skin,” says Davis. “But neither shade was warm or deep enough for Nicole.”
ELLEN’S OPINION: “I’d usually wear a foundation with more coverage to hide the pink in my cheeks, but this did the trick despite being so lightweight.”
JENNIFER'S OPINION: “It disappeared into my skin and had enough coverage to hide slight imperfections.”
NICOLE’S OPINION: “The Deep shade looked slightly better on me than the Original, but both turned chalky.”
Lipstick: Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick in RD 165.
HOW IT WORKS: Shu Uemura chemists added blue to Kakiemon red, a vivid yellow tinged hue, to create a neutral undertone so the lipstick would work on a wide range of women. The opaque color blots out the lips’ undertones so they can’t upset the red’s precise balance.
WHAT THE MAKEUP ARTIST SAYS: “It looked fabulous on Ellen and was perfect on Jennifer. It looked good on Nicole, too, but was a tiny bit too bright.”
ELLEN’S OPINION: “It made me feel like a ’40s film star—so glam. The color was extremely flattering.”
JENNIFER’S OPINION: “I’m not a fan of bold lips, but this actually worked on me.”
NICOLE’S OPINION: “I didn’t love it. But then again, I’m more of a ChapStick kind of girl.”
EARTH TONES
Eye Makeup: Ramy Perfect Eye Wand.
HOW IT WORKS: “The shadow blends warm and cool grays and taupes so it will show up on all skin tones,” says Ramy Gafni, the makeup artist behind the line. The brown-black liner on the wand’s opposite end is intended to be rich enough to register on dark skin, but not so saturated as to overwhelm ivory skin.
WHAT THE MAKEUP ARTIST SAYS: “The shadow could’ve been a smidge more silvery on Nicole,” Davis says.
ELLEN'S OPINON: “The shadow didn’t brighten my eyes the way my usual brown shade does, and it made me look tired.”
JENNIFER’S OPINION: “The shadow worked really well, but the liner left me feeling bare.”
NICOLE’S OPINION: “The shadow was too gray; the liner didn’t show up well.”
Bronzer: Yves Saint Laurent Sun Powder in #2.
HOW IT WORKS: This golden-brown powder is sheer but pigmented enough so you can layer it to vary the intensity of the tan. Shimmer is used sparingly, to keep the color from looking muddy. What the makeup artist Says: “Golden and slightly peachy, this enhances all skin tones.”
ELLEN’S OPINION: “It gave me a great, natural glow; I got tons of compliments.”
JENNIFER’S OPINION: “I’ve always associated bronzers with that fake terra-cotta look. But this one gave me just a little sheen.”
NICOLE'S OPINION: “I’d never think to wear a bronzer, but this actually worked well. I’d use it more as a blush or highlighter.”
